Vignetting tool



. W. J. McCARTHY.

VIGNETTING TOOL. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 13. 1921.

Patented. July 111, 1922.

Ill/MENTOR MAL/HM d McQRYWy .t oflika 4 WIT IVESSES WILLIAM J. MCCARTHY, or ROCHELLE PAR-K, NEW JERS 'vrennr'rrne TOOL.

Ap lication filed December 13, 1921.

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLLAM J. Mo- OARTHY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rochelle Park, in the countyof Bergen and State of New Jersey, have 1nvented a new and Improved Vignetting Tool, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a vignetting tool, and has for an object the provision of a simple, strong and economically manufactured vignetting tool which is so constructed that it is much simpler to operate and produces much improved results.

Another object resides in the particular construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a view of the tool as it is held in actual use.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the tool without the handle attached thereto.

Fig. 3 is a section through the tool showing the manner in which the handle 1s connected thereto.

The form of the invention shown in the drawings is a preferred form, although it is understood that modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts and in the character of the materials used may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention.

This tool is adapted for use where vignettes are to be produced, and in Fig. 1 the letter A is illustrative of a plate on which fine lines have been produced and which lines it is desired to treat with this tool in order that the effect of a vignette can be produced. The general operation in producing vignettes is to accurately cut I or scrape away the lines on the plate being treated from the inner end of the lines toward the outer end, near the edge of the plate. By thus gradually diminishing the prominence of the lines the vignette effect s produced. Therefore, in using the tool it is preferable to apply greater pressure on it at the end of its stroke than at the beginning, assuming that the stroke of the tool extends from the inner end of the line to the outer end of the line. Therefore, assuming this direction of stroke to require a heavier pres sure at the end than at the beginning, it is natural to push the tool ahead of the hand Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1922..

Serial No. 522,171.

rather than pull it after the hand, because in pushing a tool the greatest pressure is in stlnctively produced at the end of the pull or after the stroke has been started, and this IS the very eifectwhich I desire to produce.

Therefore, a tool which is especially constructed to enable it to be pushed in stroking a plate to produce a vignette effect is one which is exceedingly useful and is the subject matter of this invention. Tools which have been used to produce vignettes and which have to be pulled toward the operator in treating the plates are not capable of producing the required pressure variations on the lines without considerable concentration on the part of the worker, requiring a great efiort on his part and show mg up in speed of operation. Since the construction of my tool permits of its use in the manner above described, the worker can produce better results in a shorter time because he instinctively produces the required variation in pressure without having to keep his entire mind on the question of producing pressure.

To this end, the device comprises a bar or rod 1 which at one end is provided with a handle portion 2 and at the other end with a plate 3, preferably of hard tool steel, which forms the tool proper. This plate is disposed generally in a direction substantially transverse to the line of direction of the rod 1 and is provided with an aperture through which the rod 1 extends. Along opposite edges of the tool, preferably the upper edge 5 and the lower edge 6, I provide teeth which extend across the edges 5 and 6. The number of these teeth or serrations per unit of length is an optional matter and depends upon the work required. The outer end of the rod 1 is reduced in diameter and threaded, as shown at 8, to receive a nut 9 which clamps the plate 3 between it and a shoulder 10 formed on the end of the rod 1 by reason of the reduced diameter of the portion 8.

It will be observed that when the tool is gripped in the hand, as shown in Fig. 1, and the stroke of the tool is from the right to the left, the plate 3 is pushed in front of the worker to gradually erase the lines represented at A to a degree increasing from right to left, whereby the proper vignette effect is produced. This increase of pressure from the beginning to the end of the stroke produces the desired effect on the lines and is substantially instinctive on the part of the operator who is pushing the tool in front of him. 7 V i WVhat I claim is: V 1. A vignette tool Which comprises a rod having a hand portion at one end and a plate fastened to the other end, said plate disposed substantially transversely to the rod, serrations formed on the upper and lower edges of the plate, said serrations disposed transversely of the edges.

2. A vignette tool which comprises a rod having a hand portion at one end and a plate fastened to the other end, said plate disposed substantially transversely to the rod, serrations formed on the upper and lower edges of the plate, said serrations disposed transversely of the edges and substantially parallel to the axis of the rod.

8. A vignette tool which comprises a rod having a threaded end of reduced diameter, a plate having an aperture through Which the threaded end passes, said plate being disposed substantially transversely to the rod a nut screwed on to the other end to clamp the plate against the unthreaded portion of the rod, and serrations formed on opposite edges of the plate, said serrations being transverse to the edges a'ndsubstantially parallel to the'aXis of the rod.

WILLIAM J. MoCARTHY. 

